I am NEVER giving anything away again.

[Ohjakestopbeingatwat]

I’ve had it now with giving things away. I think I am just a twat magnet.

I put the children’s old wooden play market/kitchen thing up on Facebook, for free.

I put up photos and was very honest that it needs two new screws/wood glue as they have come loose and can’t be tightened, some of the paintwork is chipped, but if someone wants it, it would make a great up cycle project. If no one wanted it, it would go to the tip. But you know, it’s free and I know lots of people like a project.

Someone immediately said she wanted it and sent her husband to collect it a while later.

Then, all hell broke loose. She messaged me saying it was in a terrible state, the paint was chipped, the screws needed replacing - no shit Sherlock. That was the actual description.

She demanded that I come and pick it up. No. She kept on and on until I had to block her.

Half an hour later, her husband turned up again and threw it on my driveway, smashing it. So now, no one can have it to do up and it will have to go to the tip.

This isn’t the first time I’ve had shit like this. I don’t know how I attract these people. So never again. It’s the charity shop, or the tip.

Oh wow, that is a terrible reaction when you were up front and honest about the condition. Was it via a "freecycle" type facebook group? If it was, can you let the admin know and get her kicked out of the group?

Thankfully the worst I've had is people just not turning up.

Came across this a while back, think it sums up the problem 😁: https://youtube.com/shorts/XqM3RjUbAN0?si=xS-ofvjJ3zN8bxE9

I do my facebook giveaways via a carefully moderated local group. Behaviour like that would see the culprit banned.

Yep, I’ve stopped aswell, same as you honest description and tons of photos, which all takes time and effort. Then I’ve had it all….
People not showing up at all.
Showing up 2 hours after arranged when I’ve been in the bath, hammering on the door.
Not even a Thankyou from many.
It’s just not worth the effort and wasted time! So now it goes to charity shops/clothes bins for air ambulance/tip. It’s sad but it does seem most of the people attracted to the free ads are nightmares, so rude and entitled!

I am on the opposite side i look for free stuff as we are low income .I am always so grateful when people give us stuff we need. I guess this is why i am finding it so hard nower days to find free stuff .People taking the micky

This! I’ve started to sadly really believe it these days 😕

People behave despicably over stuff like this. I can't be bothered dealing with it now.

I now either give to the charity shop or put in the bin, depending on which is easiest. There's no parking outside the charity shop and the bin collection is once every 3 weeks. So it's a toss up of what's going on / the size of the item that'll determine what I do with the item.

If small, I'll just generally bin. Sad state of affairs.

Very funny and on the nose!

I’ve stopped advertising items as free on Facebook as it attracts the nutters!

I now either advertise it at a low cost of £5 or £10 and then when someone turns up to collect I let them have it for free, or I’ll put it outside with a free sign on and it tends to go quickly.

One of our neighbours did this, and someone took the table

Some people are just unbelievable. That's dreadful!

And worse still, someone who would have loved and really needed it was not given the chance to do it up.

How do people wake up one morning and behave like this? Where does it all start? I worry for the world, I really do!

I’d rather put something in the bin than give it away free. People who want free things are entitled and grabby.

I give stuff away on Olio and people generally don't behave like this on that app.

We also have a local recycling WhatsApp group, people post stuff to give away and generally people are very respectful on that. There is one lady who is the only admin and she will not add randoms to the group and only people who live within a few postcodes away. Works really well.

That’s what pisses me off. I’ve seen loads of people up-cycle old ones like that (I did it myself once with an old ikea play kitchen that I got for free), it’s an enjoyable thing to do if you have the time.

Now, no one can have it, as he chucked it onto the drive and the back smashed, it’s not salvageable.

Wow, how charitable of you.

Not necessarily. My husband has picked up several battered looking wooden toys from jumble sales over the years. He spends hours mending and revarnishing/painting and then gives them to nieces/nephews or now they are older they go to charity shops. But then he loves to potter and hates waste.

I’m not a big Facebook user so I’m not in any groups, I just put it on marketplace.

Ew how is he not embarrassed 😳

Facebook marketplace is the worst. I’ve had no end of shit (including pictures of crying kids and a feral cat that I’m “killing” for not driving an outdoor cathouse 150 miles) Free stuff definitely brings more crazy. Double it if it’s anything for kids and quadruple if it’s for animals. I no longer bother either. I put a desk out in front of my house and it went - a week later a woman turned up with chocolates and photos of her upcycling effort. If I’d put it on Facebook I would have been inundated with stupid questions, requests and threats.

I stay away from the marketplace, @RavenPie 's post nails it.

Do you remember Top Gear when Clarkson gave away the old cars they used in New Orleans- and people came back with a list of complaints? Said it all

Wow, thanks for the warning OP - I was going to list some stuff this week and now will drive it to the charity shop instead. Its saleable.

This.
sadly 🥲

I read about a woman on here who wouldn’t deliver a free dog bed an hour away and got inundated with photos of a sad looking Labrador sleeping on a tiled floor.

People who do that need to be studied.

I think Facebook is the problem. Its algorithm and systems dehumanise people and human contact so people forget to behave decently.

it’s a shame the council run Tips don’t let you leave items like this toy kitchen in a place for other people to browse and take home. They have the space to store it. Other tips in other European countries do this. You can pick up some gems.